Sunday, April 25, 2010

With the 154th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft the Packers COULD HAVE taken...

Green Bay Packers General Manager Ted Thompson is a firm believer in drafting the best player available. As result, if I was the General Manager of the Green Bay Packers and employing the best player available approach, instead of drafting Andrew Quarless (TE, Penn State) with the 154th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, here are some players I would have considered drafting:

Matt Tennant (C, BC), who went #158 to the New Orleans Saints. Outside of Maurkice Pouncey, lots of scouts had Tennant as the second highest rated center despite J.D. Walton (C, Baylor) getting drafted much earlier than Tennant. Outside of Scott Wells, the Packers are relatively thin at center since Jason Spitz can't stay healthy and Evan Dietrich-Smith is an unknown commodity. Plus, the chance to get a quality backup center ahead of getting a 4th string tight end makes the decision even easier. The only explanation that makes sense is that outside of Finley, the Packers might be looking replace Lee since he drops everything thrown his way and Havner because he is facing a DUI charge.

Riley Cooper (WR, Florida), who went #159 to the Philadelphia Eagles. At 6'3" and 220 pounds, Riley Cooper would have given the Packers another tall threat at wide receiver. Donald Driver is the longest tenured player on the roster and although he stays in great shape at some point the Packers will need to replace him. At the end of the fifth round it would have made much more sense to me to take a chance on Cooper instead of drafting Quarless.